


(i'll) keep you safe

by lee_dongmins



Category: ASTRO (Band)
Genre: Established Relationship, Fluff, M/M, also yoongi but only for like 4 lines, the other members are mentioned
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-09
Updated: 2018-07-09
Packaged: 2019-05-27 04:36:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,609
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15016805
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lee_dongmins/pseuds/lee_dongmins
Summary: and he’s so happy, feels like his heart might burst with love and adoration for minhyuk. because sanha is good on his own, but he’s even better with minhyuk-- the two of them a perfect match or soulmates or whatever else it can be called. all sanha really knows is that the two of them are meant to be, and he isn’t planning on giving minhyuk up for anything.





	(i'll) keep you safe

**Author's Note:**

  * For [softsocky](https://archiveofourown.org/users/softsocky/gifts).



> hi katie ily and wanted to write u something to express how thankful i am to have u as a friend + how much i love u.
> 
> ((the title + fic are both slightly inspired by the song i'll keep you safe by sleeping at last.))
> 
> also, as usual, this is slightly unedited so pls forgive any mistakes.

_"when i look at you, i can feel it. i look at you, and i'm home." - finding nemo_

_"i am who i am because of you. you are every reason, every hope, and every dream i've ever had,_  
_and no matter what happens to us in the future, everyday we are together is the greatest day of_  
_my life. i will always be yours." - the notebook_

 _"don’t be, don’t be afraid_  
_our mistakes they were bound to be made_  
_but i promise you i'll keep you safe..._  
_you are an artist_  
_and your heart is your masterpiece_  
_and i’ll keep it safe." - i'll keep you safe, sleeping at last_

 

 

 

i.

 

 

  
  
  
minhyuk has a few traits that sanha notices very clearly from time to time because of the way they tend to benefit him. in particular, when sanha notices how much he likes minhyuk’s competitiveness, the older has him pinned in a corner while they’re supposed to be playing laser tag. and really, this is minhyuk, so sanha should see what’s coming next. but he’s happy to pretend to be oblivious if only for the outcome of the entire situation of minhyuk trying to cheat his way to a win.

(or at least that’s what he claims later, both of them know that, in reality, sanha is just weak when it comes to minhyuk and maybe just slightly too naive in his excitement to be anywhere near his boyfriend; even after three years of dating.)

“hyuk,” he whines as minhyuk traps him against the wall, “there’s kids here.”

minhyuk snorts as he leans in, raising an eyebrow, “do you really want me to leave?”

“i didn’t say _that_.” he throws one arm around minhyuk’s neck, fingers tangling in the hair at his nape as the gun in his opposite hand presses against his stomach between them.

sanha closes his eyes in the dark room as minhyuk leans in, lets his boyfriend press a few chaste kisses to his lips as he sighs in content.

he lets out a nearly inaudible whine as minhyuk pulls away from him, using the hand in minhyuk’s hair to pull him back down to his lips. the kiss is soft, lasts longer than the one before had and causes him to pull minhyuk in even closer, ignoring the way the gun still between their bodies presses further into his stomach.

just as he can feel himself becoming almost unbearably breathless, he hears a kid run right by the two of them, causing him to duck his face into minhyuk’s chest despite the awkward angle; cheeks flushing and the redness beginning to spread down his neck.

“he didn’t even stop; relax, baby,” minhyuk mutters back. he presses a few more pecks to sanha’s lips in quick succession, letting his forehead rest against sanha’s after he pulls away.

“hey, sanha?”

“hmm?” sanha’s eyes are still closed, mind distracted as minhyuk rubs circles against his left hip with his thumb on the hand not occupied with holding his laser gun.

“sanha,” he repeats, “open your eyes.”

sanha does, watching minhyuk’s expression quickly change from a soft smile to more of a triumphant smirk. he narrows his eyebrows, suspicious, but minhyuk just leans back slightly. sanha is just a little distracted watching minhyuk’s eyes to notice his hand holding the gun moving, aiming right at the targets on sanha’s chest as he pulls the trigger.

he lets out a grunt in surprise as his vest starts vibrating, the lights on it turning off as he’s hit, gasping as minhyuk has the audacity to laugh at him.

“see you at the end of the round, baby. don’t forget, loser cooks dinner tonight!”

sanha whines again, barely holding himself back from chasing after minhyuk just to kiss him once more. by the time they get back to their apartment, sanha having lost after minhyuk’s successful method of cheating, he’s being more than a little needy.

“ _minhyuk_ ,” he whines for what has to be at least the fifth time when they finally get through their door. his boyfriend looks smug, knows exactly what he’s caused and knew what was coming the second he’d pulled away from sanha with that stupid smirk of his and took off during their game of laser tag.

minhyuk _finally_ presses their lips together again as they settle on the couch in their living room, his pace unhurried and soft, one of his hands finding its way under sanha’s shirt like it almost always does, thumb brushing along the skin just beneath his ribs.

sanha is almost thankful that minhyuk had decided to cheat at their stupid competition by the time they pull away, his lips feeling swollen and tingly from how long his lips had lingered against minhyuk’s. when he glances down at minhyuk’s, his heart skips a few beats and his chest feels fluttery as he notices them looking just a little fuller and a lot redder than before; feeling satisfaction bloom in his chest that _he’d_ done that to minhyuk.

“minhyuk?”

“hmm?”

“can you kiss me some more?”

minhyuk smiles so widely his eyes nearly shut, looking much too attractive for it to be healthy for sanha, his breathing picking up in pace as he admires just how handsome his boyfriend is.

“as many times as you’d like, sweetheart.”

sanha simply leans back in at minhyuk’s reply, internally praising whoever had made minhyuk so determined to win at everything, because if it turned out like this for sanha every time? he couldn’t say for certain that he’d ever be upset about losing again.

 

  
  
  
  
  
ii. 

 

 

 

 

 

at times sanha comes home especially upset and frustrated because of a bad day, minhyuk has a knack for knowing exactly what it is the younger needs.

it never takes any words, sanha having kicked off his shoes and closed the door to their apartment rather harshly. he’s almost an hour later than usual, his phone filled with a few unanswered texts, mostly from minhyuk, asking when he’ll be home and promising to wait for him to eat dinner.

sanha feels _terrible_ , hates that he hadn’t been able to text minhyuk back because he’d been stuck in a recording with some pretentious group of trainees close to debut who for some reason looked down completely on the interns working for their company. sanha had very nearly snapped on them, came close to spitting that idols with more success than they’d ever have had treated him 1000 times better than this; but hadn’t because his mentor had been there and it would’ve been unprofessional and sanha didn’t want to embarrass himself or yoongi, who he owed way too much to for him to even _think_ about doing that to him.

“sanha?” minhyuk’s voice makes frustrated tears well up in his eyes, sanha dropping his backpack to the floor and flopping down on top of minhyuk where he lays on the couch in their living room.

“hyuk.”

“bad day?” sanha doesn’t say anything else in response, buries his face in the juncture between minhyuk’s neck and shoulder and finally lets the tears that have been burning his eyes for the last three hours slip down his face, leaving hot trails along his skin. he’s upset, hates being talked to condescendingly because people think he’s too young to be a good music producer, even if he is just an intern, and feels especially pathetic and useless, because one of those stupid teenagers had said he was only trying to become a producer because he wasn’t good enough or attractive enough to be an idol, had implied that sanha wasn’t going to make it past intern because he was untalented.

it isn’t true; sanha has never had dreams of being an idol, much preferring his privacy and the act of creating music over performing it for large audiences, but the words target his insecurities. they hit him exactly where it hurts, which he supposes was the boy’s intention as soon as they’d watched yoongi make his way into the recording booth alongside the other boy in there to give him a few pointers about his rap technique. he guesses that it’s just stupid teenagers being stupid, jealous or angry or upset for whatever reason and lashing out against sanha because of it. the knowledge doesn’t make it hurt any less, though.

“baby,” minhyuk pauses, trails his fingers underneath sanha’s shirt because he knows how much the younger prefers skin to skin contact when he’s upset, almost like a child, but in a cute, endearing way, one minhyuk adores, “sanha.”

sanha still doesn’t answer, though he knows minhyuk isn’t necessarily expecting him to, mainly repeating the soft murmurs of his name and pet names to remind sanha that he’s there, that he won’t go anywhere and that he’ll be there when sanha is ready to talk. minhyuk knows, at this point, that sanha prefers quietly laying wrapped in minhyuk’s arms while he’s upset and talking about things once he calms down; he’s rather content to remain silently comforting his boyfriend knowing that in the end, he’ll feel better because of it.

by the time sanha’s stuttered breathing has settled, he’s been home for nearly twenty minutes and minhyuk is more concerned than he initially was because bad days are rare for sanha and bad days that make him cry are even _more_ rare for sanha.

(the last time he’d had one it had been because he’d accidentally deleted a nearly completed track that he’d been working on for almost a month with yoongi and his mentor had been understandably upset in the moment.

he’d apologized almost right after he’d snapped on sanha, and he hadn’t said anything personally insulting or rude, but sanha had always been hard on himself when it came to silly, avoidable mistakes.

he’d come home to minhyuk and cried while the elder rubbed his back, eventually running him a bath with his favourite bath bomb and cooking him dinner and even going as far as to run out to grab sanha’s favourite ice cream. he’d cried some more at that, but rather than being because he was upset the tears were more about how much he adored minhyuk and how thankful he was for him.)

when sanha stops crying, minhyuk detaches his lips from sanha’s forehead, where they’ve been gently pressed in an effort to soothe him, sitting both of them up though sanha just mainly flops onto him; face still buried against his neck.

“d’you want me to run you a bath?” minhyuk presses a kiss to his temple as he asks, scooping sanha up in his arms when he feels him nod against him. it’s been three years since they started dating and sanha is still surprised whenever minhyuk is able to carry him, letting a gasp fall from his lips as he tightens his limbs around the shorter man. minhyuk has almost always been shorter than sanha, but he’s also always been broader and stronger and somehow both of those things make it entirely too easy for him to carry sanha around pretty much whenever he wants.

he places sanha down on the edge of the tub as he leans over to turn it on and wait for the water to heat up.

“come in with me?” he mumbles when it’s filled, to which minhyuk nods and strips himself of his clothing, waiting for sanha as he does the same and offering a hand to help him get into the bath. they don’t say anything else, minhyuk slides in behind sanha when he’s settled into the water, his chest against sanha’s back and breath hitting the nape of his neck. one of minhyuk’s hands plays with his hair and sanha’s eyes flutter closed, leaning his weight into minhyuk as he lets out a small sigh of content.

he used to be embarrassed by moments like this, shy and awkward in their nudity and the intimacy of the entire situation; but over three years with minhyuk and countless other moments spent like this have eased him completely. instead of small bits of anxiety and embarrassment, sanha is comfortable, relaxed, happy, to sit with minhyuk and allow him to press lazy kisses along the top of his spine and the column of his throat.

they stay in the bath until the water gets cold, sanha having muttered out an explanation of what happened between minhyuk’s soft pecks to his lips.

“you’re good enough, baby,” minhyuk soothes as he wraps sanha in a towel, pulling the plug on the drain in the bath with his own towel wrapped around his waist. sanha holds his breath to prevent a content whine from slipping out at the words, pressing his lips to minhyuk’s cheek as a response instead.

“so talented, sanha,” he admires as he stands in the kitchen with sanha plastered to his front, face buried in minhyuk’s neck while the other cooks a late dinner for the two of them. sanha tries to hide his smile against the skin near his face, though he supposes minhyuk can probably feel it, can feel his chest moving up and down as he laughs at the red tint to sanha’s ears.

“prettier than even dongmin, love,” he teases as they lie down in bed, words joking but simultaneously so deadly serious that sanha’s chest flutters more than just a little.

“hyuk?”

“hmm?”

“i love you,” he murmurs, pressing a few kisses to the space below minhyuk’s jawline, so genuine and _real_ and raw in how he says them and how much he _feels_ the emotion for minhyuk that it hurts, physically, in his chest a little.

“i love you too,” minhyuk replies quietly, thumb absentmindedly trailing back and forth across the skin of the knee sanha has hiked around his waist as they lay next to one another. “go to sleep, baby,” he continues, “i’ll be right beside you.”

sanha’s heart flips upside down in his chest and maybe skips one too many beats. there’s a few things sanha needs on bad days, but even without them, he’s pretty sure the only thing he _really_ needs to feel better is minhyuk.

 

 

 

 

 

iii. 

 

 

 

 

 

once a month, minhyuk and sanha have a date night where they pick a popsicle stick from a jar of date ideas they have on the shelf in their living room that sanha gave minhyuk as part of a gift on their second anniversary.

he’d seen the idea for a date jar somewhere online in the weeks leading up to their anniversary and had taken it upon himself to make one because him and minhyuk could _never_ decide where to go on dates. they’d narrowed the jar down to the last few popsicle sticks inside, finally, having pulled one out on the third friday of every month for the last year and a bit.

(the first popsicle stick they’d picked had been one of sanha’s favourite dates they’d ever been on, as minhyuk had driven them just outside of the city, snacks piled in the backseat of minhyuk’s car, in order for them to stargaze, as per sanha’s date idea.

the older had laid a blanket out on the grass just beside where they’d parked and pulled sanha close to his side as they munched on all sorts of junk food and looked up at the stars, squinting at the bright light of minhyuk’s phone in the dark to try and discern where different constellations were and whether the things they were seeing were stars or planets.

they’d stayed up past midnight talking and joking with one another, driving back to minhyuk’s apartment hours after they’d left; sanha falling asleep in the passenger’s seat as he always did when he was tired-- minhyuk just barely managing to wake him up and tuck him into his bed when they’d finally reached home.)

when they pick the popsicle stick that sanha remembers _myungjun_ throwing in the jar as he’d helped sanha copy the ideas from his list onto the popsicle sticks, he can’t help but snort at the confusion on minhyuk’s face. myungjun had suggested they go to a paint-your-own-pottery store and sanha had let him throw in the popsicle stick because he wasn’t sure whether they’d actually use the jar or if it’d remain a cute gift for them to look at in the future.

neither minhyuk or sanha are particularly art-inclined, though both of them are good at something in the _arts_ (minhyuk incredible at dance and sanha at music), both of them are also hopeless at actual _art_.

minhyuk insisted they go because it was the date they’d pulled out of the jar and sanha had spent the whole way there complaining about how _bad_ his was going to be. when they get there, though, minhyuk makes the suggestion of painting them for one another instead of themselves, picking out the hardest possible thing for sanha to paint for him while sanha chooses the simplest mug he can find for minhyuk.

he grumbles at the dancer for choosing something difficult as they sit down to paint but gets started on the (admittedly adorable) piggy bank minhyuk had pulled from the shelves, “why’d you pick a piggy bank?”

“why not?” minhyuk counters with a smug look on his face.

sanha scrunches his nose, “what’re you going to use it for?”

“money,” he says, in a tone which implies that sanha should _know_ that.

the younger shakes his head, flicking minhyuk on the cheek when he starts laughing at him struggling to paint the face neatly.

by the time they’re finished, minhyuk has used every paint colour available, the mug a mess of random spots and lines of colour; minhyuk’s attempts at an ‘s’ and a heart messily in the middle of the only spot left white.

sanha’s piggy bank is frustratingly sub-par to him, the blue paint he was using mixed in just slightly with the yellow beside it, creating an ugly green he wished weren’t there, and the smaller details like the eyes became a little messed up because sanha kinda sucks at painting.

he pouts as they walk back to the car, holding the piggy bank up in front of his face, “i messed it up, hyuk.”

“i know. mine looks _way_ better.”

“hyuk!” he hits him on the shoulder as minhyuk laughs, stopping only when he needs to click the keys to unlock the car.

“sanha.” minhyuk sounds amused and sanha is bratty when he’s pouting so he ignores the elder as they step into the car.

“sanha,” he repeats, poking him in the cheek when he doesn’t answer once more, “baby i’m just joking. it looks great.”

sanha glances over at him, “you mean it?”

minhyuk nods earnestly, “of course i mean it. _you_ made it, so it’s nothing short of amazing.”

“shut up,” he flushes, hitting minhyuk on the shoulder as he puts the keys in the ignition and starts the car.

“i love you.”

sanha can’t help the smile that makes its way onto his face at minhyuk’s words, “i love you too. buy me ice cream on the way home?”

minhyuk rolls his eyes as he pulls his car out of the parking spot, but he turns in the direction of sanha’s favourite ice cream shop anyways, buying him his favourite flavour without complaint.

it’s almost silly, that such simple words of praise should make sanha feel infinitely better-- but coming from minhyuk they’re so much more than that. they’re a reassurance, to sanha. of how much minhyuk loves him and how, even when the things he does don’t go as planned, minhyuk will always be there to tell him how great he is.

(and that in itself means more to him than sanha thinks he could ever tell minhyuk. so he kisses him softly as they climb into bed and mumbles another i love you before falling asleep in the hopes that maybe, all of his actions and affection will add up so that minhyuk understands, even just a little, how much he means to him.)

 

 

 

 

 

iv.

 

 

 

 

 

sometimes, sanha gets a little too caught up in his work when he has a big project going on. he’ll stay in the studio for hours working, skipping meals and simple necessities like breaks because he’s caught up in finishing whatever it is he’s working on or because he’s frustrated that he _can’t_ seem to finish it.

minhyuk always tries to be understanding of this, particularly when sanha has deadlines coming up and he knows that the younger is stressed; but he also can’t just sit by in silence at sanha completely disregarding the importance of self-care for an extended period of time.

usually, it simply takes minhyuk calling sanha to remind him that he should come home and shower and eat a proper meal and rest. but when sanha doesn’t bother to pick up his phone for the _second day in a row_ after minhyuk calls or to answer any of his texts, and minhyuk has to find out from _yoongi_ that sanha is still at the studio, he’s extremely frustrated with the younger. understandably so.

and yoongi seems to _get_ that he’s frustrated, based on the reply minhyuk sends, a short _k thanks_ , that is so unlike him in the few times he’s spoken with sanha’s mentor that the elder actually asks minhyuk if everything is alright and mentions that minhyuk can talk to him if he needs to.

sanha _still_ hasn’t contacted him in any way when minhyuk finally starts the trek to the company sanha works at. it isn’t too far from their apartment, but minhyuk is frustrated and feels bad for possibly worrying yoongi in any way since he knows, via sanha, that the man is constantly busy.

by the time he gets there, minhyuk is no less frustrated or upset with sanha; entirely unable to understand how sanha could spend three full days in the studio without stopping home-- considering he’d spent the night there two times now, and clearly had no real intention of coming home that day, either-- and think that was _okay_.

as he signs in, he asks the man sitting behind the reception desk where sanha is working, being handed a visitor’s pass and warned that he only has a few minutes because they’re closing soon. minhyuk shrugs off the warning being that sanha can stay however late he’d like and minhyuk can too since he’ll be with him.

he climbs the stairs to the second floor in record time, too impatient and upset at sanha’s rare lack of forethought and disregard for how his actions can affect others to wait for the elevator. he opens the door to the studio sanha’s in rather harshly, knocking a few times and swinging his way inside without waiting for a response.

“minhyuk,” someone says as he steps in, though it’s sejun, another of the interns who works closely with his boyfriend, that notices him first.

sanha turns to him, surprised, when he hears the name leave sejun’s lips, “hyuk.”

“hey,” he replies tersely, hand still grasping the door handle tightly, “you weren’t answering your phone. i had to text yoongi-- he said you were still here when he left.”

“oh… yeah i, sejun hyung and i-- we got caught up writing these last few songs so, we stayed overnight. my phone died sometime yesterday i haven’t had a chance to charge it. ‘s why i had to text you from yoongi hyung’s phone last night,” his words are slightly slurred, under eyes dark and minhyuk can tell just by looking at him that he’s exhausted.

“i’m surprised you let him stay overnight _twice_ minhyuk, i know you usually don’t like it,” sejun comments, turning back to the page he’s been scratching away on and clicking at something with the mouse on his computer.

except minhyuk’s _not_ okay with it and he definitely doesn’t like it, and if he hadn’t already fallen asleep when sanha had sent his text about not coming home he would’ve marched over here and dragged him to their apartment _last_ night.

sanha makes a dismissive noise, hand flicking in an action that conveys a similar sentiment, “hyuk doesn’t care, long as i text him he’s fine.”

and minhyuk tries _really_ hard to ignore it-- to pretend that everything is alright and he isn’t at all angry with sanha in order to avoid the fight he inevitably knows will come out of this from happening in front of _sejun_ of all people-- but he can’t, “i do care.”

sanha’s eyebrows furrow, confused, “no you don’t?” he tries to laugh it off, like it’s _funny_ that minhyuk would care about this, “you would’ve said it bothered you when i texted you if it did.”

minhyuk scoffs, “you texted me at half past midnight, sanha, i was _asleep_ by that time-- though i’m sure you knew that.”

“oh, umm,” sanha pauses, “whoops? i’ll text earlier next time.”

minhyuk’s jaw clenches at his casual tone, as if an earlier text fixes everything; as if it’s _okay_ that sanha has spent three days in the studio now like it’s nothing. and if minhyuk didn’t know or couldn’t tell how stressed and exhausted sanha is, the itch of annoyance and irritation that’s been building ever since he’d woken up that morning without sanha next to him _again_ would’ve spilled over entirely too quickly and harshly.

sejun looks _uncomfortable_ , able to tell better than sanha that minhyuk is genuinely upset, mutters out a soft, “sanha...”, that the younger seems to finally catch up to the situation just slightly.

“hmm?” sanha pauses to look between the two of them once more, “hyuk isn’t _angry_ , it’s minhyuk.”

the way he shrugs it off so quickly, ignoring minhyuk’s very tense demeanor and clear frustration at the situation only serves to make him angrier. it isn’t that he’s mad at sanha for staying specifically, because sanha is an adult and he doesn’t need to ask minhyuk for _permission_ to stay overnight at his job, that’s _his_ choice. but minhyuk _is_ frustrated that sanha can so easily disregard his health and wellbeing because of a deadline when he once ignored minhyuk for three days after he’d done something similar for dance a few years back.

(minhyuk hadn’t repeated the action since sanha had made it clear that it upset him, because he was worried about whether minhyuk was eating and resting and just generally taking care of himself. truthfully, the situation had been what inevitably pushed them to start looking for an apartment _together_ , because sanha had mentioned that he’d be able to keep track of minhyuk better if they were living together.)

sanha reaches out for him, but minhyuk shrugs the hand off his arm easily; fully aware that sanha is clingy when he’s tired like this but unwilling to give him whatever it is he wants when he’s acting with such blatant disregard for how minhyuk feels.

minhyuk doesn’t realize sejun’s stood up until he’s brushed by him, mumbling something about getting coffee as he flees the tense environment, and it seems that minhyuk’s actions and sejun’s eagerness to get out of the room finally make sanha _get it_ \-- that something’s wrong, “what’s up with you?”

minhyuk scoffs, again, side steps sanha’s arms reaching for him once more and replies in a tone colder than anything he’s ever said to sanha in the nearly four years they’ve known one another, “what up with _me_ ?” he pauses. “i don’t know, maybe i’m just a _little_ upset at my boyfriend being a total hypocrite and completely casting my feelings aside.”

sanha looks slightly annoyed, too, now, juts his chin out petulantly and crosses his arms over his chest, “how am i being a hypocrite? sorry i had important work to do, next time i’ll tell them i can’t do my _job_.”

“you know that’s not what i mean.”

“then what _do_ you mean, minhyuk?”

“why’re you overworking yourself, sanha?” minhyuk’s voice is much softer now, the sheer irrelevancy of their back and forth serving to calm him down just slightly, “the biggest reason we moved in together was so that _i_ wouldn’t overwork myself and now you’re doing it.”

sanha blinks a few times, “i didn’t… i’m not overworking myself, i just--”

“sanha you’ve been at work for _three days_ . when was the last time you properly _slept_ , baby?” minhyuk runs a hand through his hair, watches sanha’s nose scrunch as he thinks about the question.

“i don’t-- i slept last night, on the couch.”

minhyuk rolls his eyes, shifting away again just slightly when sanha reaches for him to get his point across, “i hate seeing you overlook your health, sanha. i know this stuff is important, but staying healthy is even _more_ important. you need to rest and eat and spending three days cooped up in the studio isn’t good for you.”

sanha suddenly looks insanely guilty, eyes welling up as he starts to plead with minhyuk, “i didn’t mean to upset you, i’m-- i’m so _tired_ , hyuk, i… i’m _sorry._ ”

the older feels his resolve shatter, opening his arms for sanha to (finally) launch himself into them, tears immediately spilling over in his exhaustion and anxiousness from the fight, muffling cries and apologies mixed together into minhyuk’s neck.

“it’s okay, sanha,” minhyuk soothes, running his hands carefully along his spine in an effort to comfort him, “you’re alright, baby. everything’s okay.”

sanha’s hands fist in the back of minhyuk’s shirt and he pulls himself as close as possible to the dancer, legs shaking slightly and tears continuing to run down his cheeks as relief blooms in his chest at minhyuk’s words.

they rarely have such serious fights and sanha is somewhat of a wreck as a result, unwilling to let go of minhyuk until he knows _everything_ is alright-- that minhyuk isn’t upset with him and that everything between them is okay.

“don’t apologize anymore, sanha,” minhyuk interrupts, pulling away just slightly to wipe the tears from under his eyes, “i forgive you. i just want you to take care of yourself, sweetheart.”

sanha nods, tightening his arms around minhyuk’s neck once more and sniffling against his skin as minhyuk’s arms wrap securely around his waist.

“let’s go home, hmm?” minhyuk suggests, shifting sanha so that he can climb onto his back, “where’s your bag?”

“under the desk,” sanha mumbles, yawning as he presses his nose to minhyuk’s cheek, “i can walk, you know,” he continues, but makes no move to get down from the piggyback minhyuk has him in, making the older laugh but hike him up a little higher.

“i know you can,” minhyuk replies, sanha’s arms finally fitting around his shoulders as he carefully slips his laptop and notebook back into the bag, picking it up and beginning to trail his way to the elevators, “but let me take care of you, just this once.”

sanha hums an agreement, “okay,” he presses a kiss to minhyuk’s cheek, “i love you.”

“love you too,” sanha yawns again, interrupting minhyuk’s response, eyes drooping and head flopping slightly to the side.

“go to sleep,” minhyuk mutters softly, “i’ve got you.”

and sanha is thankful; so thankful for minhyuk, for taking care of him when he forgets to take care of himself and for being there for him, to hold him after fights and carry him when he’s exhausted and all the other things minhyuk does for him. minhyuk makes him feel looked after and cared for and _safe_ \-- as if everything is okay as long as sanha has minhyuk, because it _is_ and it always will be.

 

 

 

 

 

v. 

 

 

 

 

  
  
sanha is pretending to be asleep when he overhears minhyuk and jinwoo talking about him.

jinwoo is sanha’s oldest friend, more of a brother to him than a friend, still just a little overprotective when it comes to the younger boy because of all they’ve been through together. they’d met because their parents had been friends, having met in university and somehow managed to stay friends and continue getting together even after they’d had children.

the first time they met, jinwoo shared his thomas the tank engine train with sanha and comforted him when he slipped on the very last step coming down the stairs, trailing after the older boy. since then, jinwoo has been there for sanha like no one else; was there when sanha broke his arm when he was 12, and was there through sanha’s awkward braces stage at 16, and was there when sanha told jinwoo that he thought he was gay at 19-- had been the first person to tell him that it was alright to feel however he felt and that it didn’t change anything between them.

sanha would be pretty much nowhere without jinwoo, who had fostered his interest in music and encouraged him to pursue it if that’s what he really wanted even when teachers at school and his parents questioned whether it was a valid career choice. sanha’s parents haven’t talked to him in 6 months because of an argument they’d gotten into over it, but jinwoo is _still_ there to be the first person to listen to sanha’s new songs and tell him how amazing he finds them.

it happens on their monthly movie night, when all of the guys get together on the second friday of the month to hangout and watch movies and eat pretty much every junk food anyone can think of. it’s been going on since they met when sanha was starting his second year of university right when him and minhyuk first started dating.

movie night happens to be at sanha and minhyuk’s place this week, some mystery that dongmin had chosen playing on the television which sanha had long lost track of and decided sleeping on minhyuk was a much better alternative.

he supposes the rest of the guys have fallen asleep too for jinwoo to bring it up; though sanha isn’t exactly surprised by this, because dongmin is an exhausted med-school student, bin dances all day with minhyuk, and myungjun is just myungjun and tends to fall asleep everywhere he goes if given the chance.

“you and sanha have been together a while now?” the comment almost seems offhand, like something said in passing, but sanha can hear the slightest bit of intention behind jinwoo’s tone.

minhyuk grunts in affirmation, “just over three years now.” sanha can _hear_ the love in minhyuk’s voice, feels adoration and affection bloom in his chest because of it.

“how has it been living together? i mean, you guys have had the apartment for what, a couple months now?” jinwoo’s tone is still casual, but the conversation is very obviously _not_ , at least to sanha, who can tell that jinwoo is conducting some kind of test that he can’t even begin to guess the reason for considering he’d given his parent-like “approval” of minhyuk years ago.

“yeah,” minhyuk pauses, clearly in thought, “it’s been amazing. i love just, being able to wake up to him and see him every night before bed. he talks in his sleep, you know? and i _knew_ that before we moved in together, but, it feels so much more, i don’t know, _real_ now. like,” minhyuk pauses again, “now he’s doing it in _our_ bed, in _our_ apartment, it’s just… i’m just so thankful he puts up with me-- with my stupid diets and exercise kicks that bin and i go on and with me leaving cups in the living room and the cap off the toothpaste.”

“you love him a lot, don’t you?”

minhyuk nods, jostling sanha just slightly and then he can feel minhyuk’s gaze on him, “he’s the love of my life,” he mutters, “i don’t know what i’d do without him.”

sanha barely manages to hide back a smile at that, feels minhyuk’s fingers begin to trail through his hair and the soft press of lips to his forehead.

“good, that’s-- that’s good. i’m happy for you guys,” jinwoo pauses, “i’m glad he has you, it’s not… it’s not exactly _easy_ to be in his position, you know? like, with his parents and stuff, it’s just-- it’s good he has you.”

sanha flinches just slightly, unintentionally, when jinwoo brings up his parents; still shocked at their ability to ignore his calls and to act as if he isn’t really there. he pretends as if he’s just woken up, lifts his head from minhyuk’s chest and forces a yawn while jinwoo and minhyuk both watch him.

he flops back down onto minhyuk gently, closing his eyes and nuzzling his cheek against the hoodie minhyuk has on.

“tired?” the older asks, rubbing circles on his back with a single hand.

sanha nods against him with eyes still closed, carefully adjusting the blanket covering their legs so that he can pull it further up his body.

“night,” he mumbles tiredly, small smile forming on his lips when minhyuk presses another soft kiss to his forehead amidst a few chuckles, “goodnight, sanha.”

it isn’t until the next morning, long after everyone’s departure the night before, that minhyuk mentions that he knows sanha was awake the whole time, could see his eyelashes fluttering but kept his mouth shut because he thought it was cute that sanha had wanted to overhear them talking about him. (sanha a little surprised and weirded out by the fact that minhyuk thought eavesdropping was cute; but minhyuk was cute so it doesn’t exactly matter too much.)

“you’re cute,” sanha whispers against minhyuk’s neck, placing a kiss to the skin there as they lay in bed, “even when you leave the cap off the toothpaste and forget to put your dishes away,” he teases, poking minhyuk in the side as he mimics what the dancer thinks are his own worst habits around their apartment.

“shut up,” he laughs as he gently pushes sanha off of him and onto his own side of the bed.

sanha pouts, attempting to slide closer to cuddle again only to be rejected by minhyuk, still laughing and refusing to allow sanha to come near him, demanding an apology.

“hyuk?”

“hmm?” he glances up from where he’s using the blankets as a shield between them, feet poking into sanha’s calves.

“i love you.”

minhyuk breaks out into a huge grin, ruffling sanha’s hair as he pulls him flush against his body once more, “i love you too.”

he worms his way into sanha’s neck, lips gently pressing to the skin in a way sanha knows will leave a mark he’ll have to struggle to cover. sanha thinks about protesting, but the hand gently cradling his head to keep his neck just extended enough for minhyuk to have access to the skin he’s marking and the hand wrapped securely around his waist makes him feel safe and secure and entirely too precious to actually say anything.

or more accurately, _minhyuk_ makes him feel safe and secure and important and sanha can’t, in right mind, ever object to that.

 

 

 

 

vi. 

 

 

 

 

 

sanha has always woken up earlier than minhyuk; even on days he can sleep in and minhyuk is supposed to be up early.

on some days that it happens, sanha likes to get some of their chores done in the time he has while waiting for minhyuk to wake up. mostly, he uses the time to run the garbage down to the alley next to their building where it needs to be dropped off because no one is awake to judge him for doing it in his pyjama pants.

except, when he runs down to the alley, there’s a rattling sort of noise coming from behind one of the bins. and sanha isn’t sure what it is, but it could very easily be a serial killer or even worse, a hungry raccoon and sanha is definitely _not_ risking it on his own.

he pulls his phone out of his pocket to call jinwoo but the older only answers and then hangs up with a, “it’s 8:00am on a _saturday_ , yoon sanha. i love you but i do _not_ love you this much. find your boyfriend,” before sanha can get more out then, “there’s a noise in the alley.”

sanha does decide to heed his advice though, and trudges all the way back to their third floor apartment to find minhyuk so that he can go into the alley with him.

(the task could easily wait until later, but sanha is stubborn and wants to get it done now so minhyuk will just have to lose sleep for it.)

“hyuk,” he shakes the older in order to wake him up, hitting him once on the shoulder when he simply turns over and pulls the blankets over his head.

“ _minhyuk_ , there’s something in the alley so i can’t take out the garbage because i don’t want to die. help me.” sanha is beyond pouting, whining right into minhyuk’s ear with wide eyes and lip pushed out as much as possible in order to sway minhyuk.

it works, because minhyuk is a sucker and sanha knows exactly how to play him after three years. so the two find themselves back in the alley, the rustling sound still coming from behind one of the bins out there as minhyuk takes the lead-- sanha holding onto his hand but hiding behind his back as they make their way forward.

as sanha’s throwing the garbage bag into the bin, the rustling noise stops and then something jumps out from behind the bin and sanha spins around and runs as quickly as he can in the opposite direction; a shriek leaving his lips as he goes.

except, minhyuk stays behind, shocked at what just happened before he starts laughing so hard he’s nearly crying. sanha stops running and turns around, only to find minhyuk standing right next to one of the cutest cats he’s ever seen.

“you were terrified of a _kitten_ , sanha.” minhyuk is still laughing as they trudge their way back up to their apartment, the cat having dashed out of the alley once it saw them and made its way up a set of stairs and into a dog (cat?) door on a house across the street.

“shut up,” he grumbles, pushing minhyuk so that he nearly trips on the step he’s on as they climb to the third floor.

“i don’t think i’ve ever seen you run so quickly, that was awesome.” minhyuk pauses for a moment before he starts looking like he’s going to laugh again, “or should i say, claw-some.” he breaks into a fit of laughter once again, sanha staring at him unamusedly.

“you’ve been spending too much time with jinwoo hyung.” he shakes his head as they close the door behind them.

“i just saved you, you should be thanking me,” minhyuk comments as he makes his way to the kitchen to wash his hands so he can start making breakfast for the two of them.

“paw-lease,” sanha says back with a giggle, waiting a moment for minhyuk to get it before they both burst out laughing.

“i love you,” minhyuk replies with a smile on his face, pulling sanha into his side and pressing a kiss to his cheek.

“i love you too,” he mumbles back, “thanks for keeping me safe from the monster back there.”

minhyuk’s nose scrunches as he looks over at him, “i’ll always keep you safe.”

“gross.”

though admittedly, sanha doesn’t think it’s that gross. honestly? he’s rather satisfied with the fact that he knows minhyuk is being 100% honest and he’s filled with so much adoration for minhyuk because of that.

 

 

 

 

  
  
vii.

 

 

 

 

 

it’s the simple things they do that sanha likes the best-- cuddling on the couch when they get home from work, cooking dinner together, watching movies in bed late at night, almost anything they do _together_.

they’re laying in bed, a drama they’ve been watching the last few weeks per dongmin’s recommendation playing on minhyuk’s laptop between them. sanha glances over at his boyfriend, admiring the slope of his nose and the sharp line of his jaw, still completely taken with minhyuk even after over three years together.

he grabs minhyuk’s hand, pressing a kiss to the back of it, shrugging his shoulders when minhyuk raises his eyebrows at him in question of what exactly he’s doing.

“i love that you take care of me,” he blurts out of nowhere, scooting closer to minhyuk and ignoring the show still playing.

minhyuk raises his eyebrows again, tugging sanha into his chest as he shifts and pressing a kiss to his forehead, “yeah?”

sanha nods, cheeks flushing slightly in embarrassment as he tucks his face into minhyuk’s neck, body fitting perfectly against his as he mumbles his next words so they’re barely audible, so that they’re felt more than hear, “and i _really_ love that i feel like you’re always protecting me. i,” he pauses, trying to find the words, “i feel safe with you.”

“i am always protecting you,” minhyuk replies after a beat, pressing another kiss to his forehead as sanha smiles against his skin.

they don’t say anything else, and their show is no longer playing; sanha unsure of when minhyuk turned it off exactly. and he’s so happy, feels like his heart might burst with love and adoration for _minhyuk_ . because sanha is good on his own, but he’s even better with minhyuk-- the two of them a perfect match or soulmates or whatever else it can be called. all sanha really knows is that the two of them are meant to be, and he isn’t planning on giving minhyuk up for _anything_.

**Author's Note:**

> ily katie u deserve the world sorry this took me 10 years


End file.
